Hanabi's Healthcare Fund

EDIT 2: Fundraising round 2! Hanabi needs your help battling breast cancer.

EDIT: WE MADE IT AND THEN SOME! Thank you all SO MUCH!

My name is Lydia, and I need your help to save someone's life.

In 2006 I visited a local pet store and met one of my most beloved friends for the first time. Her name is Hanabi, and she is an American ferret who was at the time around 8 weeks old. She was all of 5 inches long, with a silver mask and dark jacket over creamy white fur and the tiniest paws you'd ever seen. She was incredibly playful, leaping and dancing, laughing and teasing. I loved her instantly, and over time we grew very, very close.

Something you should know about me is that I suffer from a mental illness, the likes of which negatively impacts my ability to engage in everyday life when it goes untreated. For a long time I was unable to afford insurance, and therefore conventional treatment was out of reach to me. Hanabi would comfort me when I cried, and she would groom me affectionately in an attempt to soothe my anxieties. Taking care of her made me take care of myself at that same time; it made me focus on being able to feed, water, and bathe myself and this life that depended on me.

Hanabi kept me alive.

When she was diagnosed with adrenal disease in 2010, I did everything in my power to repay that kindness and affection. Adrenal disease is a hormonal disorder common to American domesticated ferrets wherein tumors grow on the adrenal glands (which sit just on top of the kidneys). These tumors cause a rush of sex horomones through a ferret's body, leading to hair loss, lethargy, weakeness in hind legs, muscle wasting (loss of muscle mass), enlarged vulva in females, and weight loss. Adrenal disease can easily be fatal to ferrets if left untreated. I was lucky at the time to be employed full-time and was able to cover the cost of her appointments, medication, and surgery. She came through the procedure successfully, and in recovery regained much of her hair and put on a good deal of weight. The fur on her tail never returned, however, and her vulva remained enlarged.

The really scary thing about adrenal disease is that once a ferret has it, there's always a chance that it can come back. If not enough tissue was removed the first time, or if the other gland grows a new tumor, relapse can happen. Unfortunately for Hanabi, this seems to be the case.

Thankfully, there are amazing people in my life and on the internet and we were able to raise $647 towards Hanabi's initial desloralin implant, office visits, and medications. I seriously cannot thank everyone who contributed enough. The implant was given on May 6, 2015, and as of May 30, 2015 she has begun to grow back her fur.

Unfortunately, the swelling around her nipples and vulva remains, as well as blue/purple discoloration around a lump surrounding one of her nipples. The fact that the swelling has not reduced after two weeks worries the vet, and she believes Hanabi may have developed mammary tumors---breast cancer. There is a chance that the implant can still shrink or eliminate the tumors, but the longer time goes on the less likely it is to happen. Her vet is going to be giving her a Lupron shot, which contains the same hormone solution as her implant, in an attempt to speed up the process. If, however, there is no improvement then Hanabi is going to need a biopsy (which will involve removing a nipple and surrounding tissue) and potentially a mastectomy (which will remove all nipples, mammary tissue, and potentially her vulva).

This is where I need your help.

Unlike last time, I am not currently working. I'm a full-time student trying to finish up my last year and a half of college, and I don't have anything left to spare. My parents are going to do what they can to help, but so far Hanabi's medical expenses have already come to $700. That's not a lot of money for most people with a steady job, but it's an incredible amount when you don't have any income. Thankfully, $647 of that $700 has been covered by generous donations from phase 1 of fundraising

The current goal of $1750 will help pay off currently accrued medical debt for Hanabi, has already paid for her desloralin acetate implant, and will continue to pay for office visits, tests, medications, and her mammary tumor biopsy and removal. It's a very small amount to save a very important life.

I thank you in advance for your contributions, and I will update frequently to let followers know how Hanabi's treatment is progressing.

Sincerely,
Lydia Hodgins